Storage cabinet



H. STILLMAN STORAGE CABINET Oct. 4, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 10, 1958 INVENTOR.

HAROLD STILLMAN ATTORNEYS United States Patent STORAGE CABINET Harold Stillman, 1084 E. Grant, Des Plaiues, Ill. Filed Apr. 10, 1958, Ser. No. 727,590

2 Claims. c1. 62419) This invention relates to improvements in a storage cabinet and it is of particular value for the storage and conditioning of materials such as rubber gums, matrix board and similar materials which are used for making plates for printing.

Rubber gums used for molding rubber printing plates are often aifected by atmospheric conditions such as excessive temperatures, humidity, sunlight, etc., which, if continued for long periods of storage or on the shelf, often cause self-curing or other damage, making it difficult, if not impossible, to mold accurate plates. Under these circumstances, it is a problem to obtain accuracy in tolerances of thickness and a uniform height of the type characters in the plates.

Another material generally characterized as matrix board used for the molding of printing plates of the type described is a resin-impregnated paper coated with a Bakelite phenolic. This particular material readily absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and this may affect the accuracy of the mold.

Accordingly, the purpose of this invention is to obviate or materially reduce the difficulties heretofore encountered from storing the materials of the class indicated for excessive periods under unfavorable conditions of high temperature or high humidity, or both, while not introducing other undesirable results.

' A further purpose of the invention is to produce a selfcontained, highly portable cabinet of the class described, which can be quickly and conveniently moved from one pant of the printing plant to another whenever occasion requires.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation, partially in section, of the cabinet;

Figure 2 is a plan view of said cabinet, also partially in section; and

Figure 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

As shown in Figure l, the cabinet comprises a rectangular, box-likestructu're having a hollow bottom panel or base supported on casters 11. The space between the sheets of the hollow base 10 is filled with thermal insulation, indicated at 12. The cabinet has a similarly constructed end wall 13 and side walls 14 and 15. The end wall or closure 16 opposite the end wall 13 is set back from the extreme end 17 of the cabinet so as to provide a recess 18 for containing a pump and condenser of the refrigerator unit designated as a whole as 19. The end wall 16 is also made hollow and insulated as in the ease of. the other walls of the cabinet. For convenience in obtaining access to the interior of the cabinet, the top panel orroof of the cabinet is made in two sections 20 and 21, also hollow and insulated, and hinged so as to open up the top of the unit whenever it is desired to introduce or remove materials which are stored in the cabinet.

That part of the cabinet located between the ends is 23 for receiving the materials to be stored, and another compartment 24 which contains one or more fans or pumps 25 employed in circulating the air into and out of the storage compartment 23. In the upper part of said partition 22, there is located a series of superposed, spaced horizontal pipes 26 for circulating liquid refrigerant supplied by the refrigerating unit 19. Any water which may condense on the pipes 26 is received in a horizontal trough 27 and is conducted therefrom by a waste pipe 28 into the recess 18 in which the main refrigerator unit is contained. This condensed water is then discharged into the atmosphere where it is picked up by the blower of the said refrigerating unit 19.

In the present instance, I have provided for convenience a pair of air circulating fans or blowers 25 which are of the centrifugal type, drawing air from the compartment 24 through a circular eye 29 and discharging it through a tangential outlet 30 which has a flaring extension 31 leading into a rather narrow, rectangular duct 32 on the side walls 14 or 15 of the cabinet, and extending to within a short distance of the opposite end wall 13 of the cabinet.

In the present instance, the compartment 23 in which the conditioning of the material is efiected is large enough for the storage of twelve standard rolls of the sheet material, with additional space 33 at one end of the compartment 23 to store materials'which may not be in standard roll form. Each of the rolls 34 is normally wrapped around a fairly large tubular core 35 which hangs on an axially horizontal tubular spindle 36. The twelve rolls are mounted on twelve of these spindles arranged in two sets of six spindles on a double reel or spider, designated as a whole as 37. Said reel 37 is mounted upon a pair of spaced A frames, each of which includes a base rail 38, side bars 39 and 40 and a yoke'or cap 41 on which is mounted a pillow block 42. The pillow blocks constitute spaced bearings for the main shaft 43 of the reel.

On the main shaft 43 there are mounted a pair of end hubs 44 and 45 and a central hub 46, and to each of those hubs there are secured six roll carrying arms 47 as shown best in Figure 3. The arms attached to the end hubs 44 and 45 are provided with holes which loosely receive the outer ends of the roll-spindles 36. As shown best in Figure 1, the arms attached to the central hub 46 on the shaft 43 are fitted with fixed, double-ended studs 48 extending through and welded into holes in said arms aligned with the correspondingly positioned spindle holes in the arms at the ends of the reel.

The ends of said studs 43 are of proper size to slide readily within the inner ends of the tubular spindles 36 and the inner ends of said spindles are drilled out diametrically as indicated at 49 (see Figure 2) to .accommodate double-ended pins 50 which extend diametrically through said holes 49 and also through the ends of the studs 48 fixed in the arm 47. Each of said keeper rods or pins 59 is a free fit in the end of the spindle 36 and the end of the stud 48 fixed in the arm 47. However, said keeper 50 is normally locked in the position shown in Figure l by means of a set screw 51 threaded into the end of the stud 48 and extending through a slot in the end of the spindle. In order to remove one of the rolls 34 from the reel, the set screw; 51 is first loosened, permitting the withdrawal of the keeper 5%), whereupon the spindle 36 can then be slid axially and outwardly until the end of the spindle dis-1 engages the end of the stud 48, whereupon the roll 34 with its spindle may then be canted sufficiently to permit removal of the roll with its spindle.

In order to prevent the outer loose ends of the sheet material on each of the rolls 34 from unwinding or becoming loose, it is advisable to employ a braking bar 52 extending across the face of the roll and'having at as indicated at 54. The braking bars 52 are urged against the peripheries of thelrolls 34 by means ofcoiled-wire tensionrspring's 55 connected between the arms 47 which carry the reel, and the legs 53 of the braking bar 52.

When it is desired to cut off a length of the sheet material carried by one of the rolls 34, the lid 21 is swung back so as to open up the top..of the cabinet and then the reel is rotated by hand in order to bring the desired roll to a position where access can be had to it from above. The reel is then locked in position. This locking of the reel against'rotation is effected by means of a dogging block 56 keyed to a vertical rod 57 extendingthrough a bearing aperture in an extension 58 of one end of the yoke 41 of one of the reel frames previously described. -This rod 57 extends upwardly to the top of the compartment 23 and has its end bent over at right angles to form athandle as shown at 59 for use when it is desired to rotate the dogging block 56. As shown in the drawings, the outer end of the block 56 is provided with a slot or recess 60 which is wide enough to accommodate the flange 61 of one of the arms 47 when the handle 59 is turned at the time when said flange 61 is in a position to register with the slot 60 in the block 56.

It will be understood that by adjusting the refrigerating unit, and by regulating the speed of the fans 25,

coupled with automatic thermostatic and hygrostatic control devices, the temperature of the interior of the storage compartment 23, and the relative humidity therein, may be accurately controlled. However, it will not ordinarily be found necessary to be concerned about the lower limit of the temperature so long as the relative humidity is maintained at around fifty percent, or somewhat less, since with most materials, self-curing on the shelf resulting from prolonged storage at too high a temperature is a principal difliculty, whereas no significant permanent damage usually results from a temperature below normal. The storage compartment temperature should not exceed 65' F. for storing sheets of rubber gum.

Various of the features of the invention believed to be novel are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigerated storage cabinet for heat and moisture sensitive materials, said cabinet comprising a mobile, generally rectangular structure having two vertical partitions, one ofsaid partitions together with the walls of said rectangular structure defining an insulated compartment and a compartment containing a refrigerant compressing andpumping unit, the second of said partitions dividing said insulated compartment into a fan compartment and a storage compartment, said second partition including in the upper part thereof a series of cooling coils connected with said refrigerant compressing and pumping unit, said second partition also including a horizontal trough located under said cooling coils for collecting condensed moisture therefrom, said trough communicating with a waste pipe extending into said compartment containing said refrigerant compressing and pumping unit, whereby the moisture carried thereby is discharged to the atmosphere, said fan compartment including a pair of fans disposed for drawing air through said cooling coils from said storage compartment and for recirculating it back to said storage compartment, thereby condensing moisture from said air and cooling said air before passage thereof through said fans and re-entry into said storage compartment, each of said fans having an outlet extending through said second partition, said storage compartment including separate conduits connected to the outlet of each of said fans, said conduits extending along the side walls of said storage compartment to the end thereof furthest removed from said cooling coils, said conduits being open at said storage compartment end to deliver the cooled recirculated air for travel across the entire length of said storage compartment, and means in the top wall of said storage compartment for providing access to the interior thereof.

2. A refrigerated cabinet for storing rolls of sheet rubber or other gum used for making printing plates, said cabinet comprising a mobile, generally rectangular structure having two vertical partitions, one of said partitions together with the walls of said rectangular structure defining an insulated compartment and a compartment containing a'refrigerant compressing and pumping unit, the second of said partitions dividing said insulated compartment into a fan compartment and roll storage compartment, said second partition includingin the upper part thereof a series of cooling coils connected with said refrigerant compressing and pumping unit, said second partition also including a horizontal trough located under said cooling coils for collecting condensed moisture therefrom, said trough communicating with a waste pipe extending into said compartment containing said refrigerant compressing and pumping unit, whereby the moisture carried thereby is discharged to the'atmosphere, said fan compartment including a pair of fans disposed for drawing air through said cooling coils from said r011 storage compartment and for recirculating it back to said roll storage compartment, thereby condensing moisture from said air and cooling said air before passage thereof through said fans and re-entry into said roll storage compartment, each of said fans having an outlet extending through said second parttition, said roll storage comsired spindle relative to said access panel for easy acces- V sibility, said access panel having a length at least approximately the length oflsaid roll-supporting spindles to facilitate generally horizontal removal and replacement thereof, and separate conduits connected to the outlet of each of said fans, said conduits extending along the side walls of said storage compartment to the end thereof furthest removed from said cooling coils, said conduits being open at said storage compartment end to deliver the cooled recirculated air for travel across the entire length of said storage compartment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Swanson Oct. 27, 1959. 

